Stress Sponge

I wrote this earlier this month and forgot to post it!

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Today is September 1st… the first day of Spring, and New Zealand’s National Random Acts of Kindness day!

As promised I did my best to brighten the day of just a few people in a little way.  This morning, armed with 12 Whittaker’s Dark Ghana chocolate bars (featuring RAK day labels) and a sunny disposition, I set out to share the love!

On the whole I’d say that my tokens of happiness hit the mark. The office was a pretty cheerful place today, and felt more like a Friday than a Thursday. I received smiles and thanks, and general kindness returned.

There was one person whose response put a bit of a damper on the day, and I’d just like to say: “WTF dude!?”

It’s a well-known fact that bus drivers can be among some of the grumpiest people on this planet. I’ve heard them curse at the traffic, seen them gesture rudely at other drivers, and experienced some pretty scary aggressive driving.  Despite all that, I’m sure most of them have a nice side, and so I thought I’d try today to get one of them to smile.

Boy was I wrong.

Dear Mr grumpypants bus driver. When someone smiles at you genuinely and hands you a chocolate bar saying “happy random acts of kindness day”, grabbing it and grunting is NOT the polite response!

Needless to say, bus drivers will not be on my list next year.

September 1 is the 7th anniversay of New Zealand Random Acts of Kindness day!  Yes I know, we should always be trying to do little things to brighten the day of strangers… but sometimes we need a little reminder.  September 1 is that reminder!

RAK day is about doing something for absolutely no reason at all.  Something that pulls two strangers (or even friends) just a little closer together.  It doesn’t have to be a big gesture… just something small like gifting the remainder of your paid parking time to the next driver in your parking space, handing out flowers to people on the street, or buying lunch for a homeless person.

I know I’ll be doing my bit to make New Zealand have a sunshinier day!

Here’s a great RAK that one of my favourite bloggers (Shoot Tokyo) did in Japan… it’s so sweet

It’s 2009 all over again, and all over the internet profile pictures have been replaced with solid black, in protest of the The New Zealand Government’s sneakily passed law changes to the Copyright Act.  When the amendment comes into effect on September 1 2011, we can all be found guilty until we can prove otherwise!

The New Zealand Herald reports:

The legislation seeks to tackle illegal file sharing, including unauthorised movie and music downloads, with illegal file sharers receiving warnings for their first two infringements. A third infringement will see the owner of the copyrighted material able to seek a court order to suspend the offender’s internet account.

Any notice from a copyright owner to the tribunal will be ‘presumed’ to be correct. The copyright holder will not have to prove they are correct, unless the accused gives evidence or reasons showing otherwise.

The tribunal will also be able to award penalties of up to $15,000 based on damages sustained by the copyright owner.

The threat to the freedom of the New Zealand people has not gone unnoticed, and now Anonymous has picked up the cause!

 

I’m all for freedom of choice, but when large numbers of people stop being able to make good decisions when it comes to their health, and that of their children… is it maybe time for someone else to step in?

I’ve been feeling a little fuzzy today, thanks to an antihistamine with some serious punch. After spending 2 days at home comatosed, I thought I should give work another go. Right now I’m struggling to keep my brain ticking over.

A little ray of sunshine in my day, are these yummy feijoas that a work colleague left on my desk for me!

In the past few months, a few good friends of mine have headed overseas to seek their fortunes, trading quiet little New Zealand for the hustle and bustle of London.  A recently tweeted photo by Elly got me thinking about the little changes that they must be adapting to.  I’ve lived in New Zealand all my life, and I don’t think twice about grabbing a squeezy bottle of Heinz ketchup, or a box of Sanitarium Muesli off the shelf… I find supermarket shopping mundane, filled with the same old stuff every time.

I wonder what exciting new brands, packaging and products are they discovering in the UK… and what they’re missing from home?

After nearly a year of neglecting my blog, I have finally been pushed back into action. I’ve (guiltily) had to turn my back on the expensive New Zealand based OpenHost, and opted for the much cheaper USA based WebHostingPad.

I always enjoyed the start of a new school year; new stationery; new uniforms; new adventures. There’s something wonderful about opening a band new excerise book, with its corners perfectly flat, and the pages white and crisp. In a way, moving hosts and changing to a fresh new WordPress theme, feels a bit like starting again with new 1B5.

When I was 12 I had a best friend who I felt so mentally and emotionally connected to, that I got goosebumps.

It’s not often that someone comes along who really gets me, and who I can connect with… To me there are friends, and there are acquaintances.  They are different, and whilst I’m happy to have the odd catch-up with acquaintances, there will always be parts of me that they won’t understand, and I won’t share.

Today I received the most awesome birthday card and I felt 12 years old again.

Every time I read the card I smile… because it’s so nice to know that my peculiarities are understood!

I can be a pretty intense person… emotionally, and I’ve always felt like I want more from a friendship than most people are able to give.  More of a connection.  More of their soft, squishy insides.  More affection on a purely platonic level.

This year has been a real eye opener for me, and I’ve been so lucky to have several amazing people come into my life.  They’ve shown me that there are others out there that feel the same, and that this void I have, can be filled.

I have much love for those I refer to collectively as “The Sandwich”.